Acts 13:8, commentary and pictures

On Paul and Barnabas's first missionary journey to Cyprus, at Paphos the Jewish sorcerer and false prophet Bar-Jesus, called Elymas, opposed the apostles as the prudent Roman deputy Sergius Paulus desired to hear the word of God, seeking to prejudice him against the gospel and turn him away from faith in Christ. He did this by false reports and deceptive, specious arguments and suggestions that greatly hindered their work. Satan worked through him as his servant and agent, so the withstanding was the work of evil powers seeking to thwart God's purpose and obstruct the gospel. The encounter reveals that the fallen foe works in a special manner to keep persons of influence and repute from embracing the truth because their conversion could be of great service to the cause, even as the magicians in Pharaoh's court withstood Moses and Aaron. His resistance to light was answered by temporary blindness as a warning calling him to repent and seek pardon, his confusion defeated his opposition, and the deputy was convinced by the doctrine and embraced the gospel.

Setting and Opposition

This encounter belongs to the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas, which began with their voyage to Cyprus. They took Mark with them from Antioch through Seleucia to Cyprus, preached in the synagogues of the Jews at Salamis, and then went through the isle to Paphos, where this meeting took place.

The opposer was Bar-Jesus, a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet also called Elymas, who was with Sergius Paulus. Sergius Paulus was the prudent Roman deputy of Cyprus and of the country, a man of repute and influence. He called for Barnabas and Saul because he desired to hear the word of God and to be instructed in the truth.

To withstand them and seek to turn away the deputy from the faith means Elymas opposed and resisted the apostles as they preached and as the deputy listened to the gospel. He tried to turn him against them and destroy their influence over him, to prejudice him against the gospel, and to keep him from accepting faith in Christ. This resistance greatly hindered their work.

He worked by false reports and deceptive arguments and suggestions, including various specious and harmful deceptions. By these he sought to turn the deputy against the apostles and away from faith in Christ.

Spiritual Conflict and Outcome

Elymas stood under Satan's control as his servant and agent, and Satan worked through his false reports and deceptive suggestions to prejudice Sergius Paulus against the gospel. The opposition at Paphos was therefore not merely human resistance but the work of evil powers seeking to thwart God's purpose and obstruct the gospel. It belongs to the continuing conflict between those powers and those appointed to spread the truth.

The fallen foe works in a special manner to prevent persons of influence who could be of great service to the cause if converted from embracing the truth. Sergius Paulus was such a man, an influential deputy who desired to hear the word of God, and his conversion could have helped God's cause, which is why Satan sought through Elymas to hinder the work and keep him from accepting faith in Christ. Elymas served that effort by false reports, deceptive arguments, and various specious and harmful suggestions, greatly hindering the apostles.

His withstanding of Barnabas and Saul was like the magicians in Pharaoh's court withstanding Moses and Aaron. He belonged to an exceptional class among those possessed by devils, who for the sake of obtaining supernatural power welcomed satanic influence and possessed the spirit of divination. Therefore he had no conflict with the demons whose influence he sought and did not suffer like most demoniacs.

His resistance to the evidence and light of the gospel was answered by temporary blindness, which served as a warning calling him to repent and seek God's pardon. His confusion defeated his attempts to oppose Christ's teaching, and the deputy was convinced by the apostles' doctrine and embraced the gospel. Withstanding the messengers of truth and seeking to turn others away from the faith is what God condemns, showing that the Lord will not encourage false theories and a low standard. The verse therefore calls those who hear it to seek the Lord most earnestly and to humble their hearts before God, with a higher moral standard upraised and maintained.